Hunters & Gatherers
A funny thing happened a couple of weeks ago. I received a message from a Twitter friend who had won a competition through our local ABC radio station to take 10 friends to the Hunter Valley for a day of feasting… and I was one of the 10 names she put forward. Hells bells! Before I knew it I was on a road trip to culinary heaven with some people I’d never met before (in real life).
After preliminary how-do-you-do’s at the ABC Newcastle office and some face-to-face conversations that involved responses over 140 characters in a coach from Newcastle to Pokolbin, our group of Twitter friends disembarked at the perfectly positioned Audrey Wilkinson Vineyard, high atop a ridge overlooking row after row of grape vines and the beautiful Hunter Valley.
Cue the first utterances of ‘Oh, my God’ for the day. I’ve been to a number of vineyards in the Hunter, but this was my first visit to Audrey Wilkinson Vineyard and I was so pleased to be taken to a new-to-me vineyard in a pocket of the Valley I’d not been to before. Extraordinary views and a complimentary glass of Verdelho aside, the set-up on the verandah of the vineyard’s main lodge made it abundantly clear just what an amazing day was ahead of us. To the left was a giant paella pan and to the right a BBQ with duck breasts already sizzling away with two chefs busily prepping our lunch. Directly in front of us, a long table dressed in white linen and three wine glasses at each setting. Up the back, a table from which ABC1233 would be live-crossing from for the afternoon. Cue second round of “Oh my God”.
Whilst the first round of white wines was poured with instructions to drink from left to right, Carol Duncan, the outright affable afternoon host on ABC1233, began conducting the live-cross with interviews from winemakers from Audrey Wilkinson Vineyard, The Little Wine Company and Tower Estate. It was interesting to hear their perspectives of a challenging but highly rewarding industry that many of the heavy hitters haven’t been able to handle as illustrated by their departures over recent years. These days, the heart of the Hunter Valley wineries is family-run vineyards whose passion for outstanding wine-making outweighs profits.
Next up, a nifty labna-making demonstration from the Hunter Valley Cheese Company. Having made labna for the first time not long ago it was a great reminder to get another batch made up with some new ideas for flavourings.
Then our attention turned to the paella that was being cooked up by Andy Wright of The Cellar Restaurant. Three things I learnt:
+ Too much chorizo is never enough
+ I should be adding a lot more smoked paprika than I do
+ A dollop of saffron aioli atop a plate of beautifully cooked paella, whilst unconventional, is the bee’s knees.
A breather by way of olive oil and vinegar tastings from Pukara Estate was a real eye opener. Guava vinegar? Caramelised balsalmic vinegar? Wasabi olive oil? Yes, yes and yes! As we went along the line of samplers with our pieces of dipping bread, my brain was in overdrive with all the ideas about how to use each oil or vinegar.
So by this point, just when we thought we couldn’t take anymore of our minds being blown, along comes a fresh row of wines, this time reds, to accompany the next course which just happens to be one of my favourite dishes of all time – duck. Local duck nonetheless, from the same farm we acquired our pet chickens. This stellar dish by Matt Dillow of Verandah Restaurant made clear, in a very toothsome way, just how amazing the produce of the Hunter Valley is. Lucky for us, Matt has kindly shared his recipe for us all to enjoy.
For a place I thought I knew well I realised quite quickly just how much of the Hunter Valley there still is for me to discover. Yes, there is great wine and food, but more that there are passionate producers who love what they do and want to share it with you. I’ll be getting out my Gregory’s and see what else I can uncover. In the meantime… duck.
PS Thank you Susan and ABC1233 for a really amazing day.
Nulkaba Duck Breast with White Asparagus, Potato Roesti and Rhubarb Compote
Serves 4
Rhubarb Compote
1 bunch of rhubarb
100g unsalted butter
3 cinnamon quills
5 star anise
½ bunch of thyme
½ cup sugar
2 oranges, juiced
In a heavy-based pot over medium heat add butter and when bubbling add cinnamon, thyme (left whole), star anise, and sugar. Stir for 3-5 minutes or until caramelised, then add the rhubarb and orange juice. Continue cooking for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
This is a great compote and can be used for other things such as in desserts or as a jam on toast.
Roesti
4 medium Desiree potatoes
100g unsalted butter, melted
50mls olive oil
1 bunch parsley
Sea salt and cracked pepper
Grate the potatoes into a bowl and sprinkle with salt and leave for 5 minutes allowing the salt to remove most of the moisture from the potatoes. Squeeze the excess moister from the potatoes and place in a bowl. Add the melted butter to the potatoes with some cracked black pepper and salt. Heat a non-stick pan to medium and using an egg ring spoon the grated potato into the ring as high as possible. Cook until golden brown and crispy on both sides. You are after a thick roesti, so if you are concerned the potato is still uncooked you can finish them in the oven (200C for 5 minutes).
Duck Breast
4 boneless duck breasts
1 orange, zest of
½ bunch thyme, chopped
Preheat the oven to 200C. Score duck breast in 1cm strips, being careful not to cut the breast meat. Rub in chopped thyme and orange zest over the skin. Heat a frypan over medium heat and add the duck breast skin side down and cook until fat is rendered and skin is coloured caramel brown, about 8-12 minutes. Turn the breast over and cook for another 2 minutes. Place the duck breasts in the oven for 4 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 3 minutes.
White asparagus
8 white asparagus
Heat a saucepan of salted boiling water over high heat until boiling. Add the asparagus to blanch, about 4 minutes. White asparagus is generally thicker than green asparagus, so will take a little longer to cook. You can pan fry the asparagus with the spinach if you like.
Blanched spinach
500g baby English spinach
50mls olive oil
Heat a pan over medium-high heat and add oil and spinach till wilted, about 2 minutes. Make this one of the very last jobs you do.
To assemble
Place a heated roesti in centre of plate, add some of the wilted spinach then two pieces of the blanched white asparagus. Using a sharp knife slice the duck breast into four strips and place on top of the asparagus. Add a good dollop of the warm rhubarb compote and serve immediately.
Oh. My. GOD! Love the Hunter.
The duck breast recipe looks delicious. I’ve always wanted to try cooking duck, but so far have not had the courage. Will let you know if successful.
Nancy
Wow. Planning a child free visit to the Hunter in the next few weeks. My mouth is watering. I can’t wait!
Your recipe sounds mouth watering. I have never cooked duck before but am going to give this one a try. thank you!.
Looks like you had an amazing day in the Hunter. I so want to try the saffron aioli atop my paella the next time I make it sounds divine!
[...] I was ensconced at the feast of the Hunter Valley the other week, Bruce from Pukara, an olive estate of some 200ha located in the Upper Hunter Valley [...]
[...] aioli on your fork – truly delicious. I made more than I needed so I could try it with paella as Andy from The Cellar Restaurant [...]